Leading Toward Compliance or Action: K–12 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies and Resistance

• In Event: How Helpful Is the Help From the Top of the Educational Hierarchy? Contrasting Cases

Abstract

In this national moment of backlash to DEI work New York State required school districts to develop a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy. For this project we seek to address the following questions:

What do school districts include in their DEI policies? In other words, how are school district leaders (administrators & school boards) planning to create more equitable schools in an increasingly diverse society?

Using a framework of sense making and focusing a consortium of about sixty districts in central New York, spanning urban, rural and suburban areas, we used a mix of online questionnaires and in depth interviews. We constructed four themes regarding the DEI policies and four main themes regarding the process used around the policy.

Authors

• George Theoharis, Syracuse University

• Leela George, Syracuse University

• Kate Franz, Syracuse University